I can’t ever recall in my lifetime, when an NFL player has taken as much criticism from peers in the league, as has Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. This stems from his sitting on the sidelines after hurting his knee during the playoff game with the Packers at Soldier Field. Cutler left during the third quarter of a 21-14 loss in the conference championship. Cutler was diagnosed on Monday, with a sprained medial collateral ligament, as detailed by ESPN.com. That network has interviewed both present and past NFL players, who have questioned his attitude, in terms of both not playing to whatever degree he could still contribute,even if he would be severely limited in his ability to perform at an elite level, or at the very least, to appear to be doing something useful on the sidelines with the players or coaches, and not sitting on the bench, looking lost and absorbed in his own world.
The critics have included Trent Dilfer, Derrick Brooks, Heath Evans, Tom Waddle, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, Darnell Dockett,and Maurice Jones-Drew .
Cutler was defended uniformly by his Chicago teammates, and head coach Lovie Smith. Former NFL coach Mike Ditka, also a Hall Of Fame player and ESPN analyst, remarked: “ …. I would have had to have been paralyzed to come out of the game. I don’t want to say that word. I would have had to be completely knocked out to come out of that football game.”
The Bears utilized third- string quarterback Caleb Hanie, after second-stringer Todd Collins was not able to perform well.
Arizona’s Dockett spoke out on his Twitter account: “ If I’m on chicago team jay cutler has to wait till me and the team shower get dressed and leave before he comes in the locker room ! #FACT.”
Jones-Drew tweeted: “ All I’m saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee….. I played the whole season on one…….” He has subsequently advised that his comments were not about Cutler. “ I never attacked him, called him soft or a sore loser. I never questioned his toughness. I think people took my joke out of context. I was taking a shot at Florida fans.”
Bear general manger Jerry Angelo was very critical of current players who were speaking out against his quarterback. “ I think it’s crap……..I thought they were a union. If that’s the way they unionize themselves, they got bigger issues than the one that they have with the owners. I’m very disappointed. That, to me, is dirty poor.”
The Bears Brian Urlacher was also critical of current players who were taking shots at the Santa Claus, Indiana native. “Nothing like jealous people who are sitting home watching. Yeah, love jealous people when they’re watching our game on TV while their season is over. Who cares what they think ?”
The sharpest criticisms of all came from former NFL quarterback ( from 1994-2007) and ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer, ( Super Bowl XXXV winner with the Ravens,beating the Giants 34-7.) who said that he had those same injuries during his career and could relate to the pain Cutler would have been feeling. Dilfer stated that in a game of the magnitude of the conference championship, a quarterback is expected to do whatever it takes to participate, even if it means getting the injury frozen, or taking pain killers. He, like others who commented about the Bears quarterback, also said that the Vanderbilt alumnus’ body language was not what it should have been, seeming to be disinterested and indifferent while sitting on the sidelines, to everybody who was watching on television. Dilfer’s harshest remarks, were that Jay Cutler already has a reputation for quitting in difficult circumstances, citing the example of his desire, according to Dilfer, to leave the Denver Broncos.
There is no doubt that as much as Jay Cutler’s knee is hurting him, I can’t imagine that would bother him, as much as the loss of respect that he now has among many of his peers in the National Football League. That will take a much longer period of time to correct, than will his injury, if his image and a higher level of respect, can ever be restored with former and current NFL players.